Valahad Makhari I
Makhari I, Valahad of the Free Confederated Tribes of Makharia, born Dilay Elmas Tarrackh, is the ruler of Makharia and the first female sovereign. The eldest daughter of a lowly Baig and an unknown woman, Makhari showed fierce determination to succeed, and demonstrated remarkable competency in almost every field, particularly military matters, a fact which makes her especially notable. Her reign has been notable for the modernisation of Makharia's government and military, with the tradition bow-armed horsemen being replaced by mounted riflemen, equipped with state of the art Nientai firearms. Early Life Dilay was born to a low-standing clan. Her father, Jakuh, was a nobody in the politics of the realm, and had found himself old, widowed and without a son. This led to Dilay adopting the mantle of heir; a practice practically unheard of in Makharian society. Dilay took to her position with gusto, despite the mocking of her peers, and quickly began to make a name for herself. Thus, when her father died on the 1st of Sawu, 4445, Dilay became the Baig of the Tarrackh clan, at the young age of 14. As Baig of the Tarrackh Dilay became noteworthy among the nobility of Makharia as a whole due to her conduct during the War of the Great Plains, the war for the crown of the nation, waged between two brothers. Dilay took command of the forces of her own clan, and, in spite of near perpetual derision and discrimination by the other lords, won battle after battle. Over time, more and more commoners flocked to her banner, eager to fight under the command of a living legend. She became known affectionately as 'The People's Lady', and promoted those within her command based on merit, not blood. In the end, she almost singlehandedly secured the throne for Cenk Gulhar, who would become Valahad Makhar XIV. Though the new sovereign did not reward her, the lords of the other tribes were eager to win her over. She was adopted by the ruler of the powerful Kulahk Tribe, Tagref Kulahk, and made his heir, as his sons had perished during the war. Bekhuy Cirrek, lord of the Cirrek Tribe, offered his eldest son, Kert Cirrek, to be her Shuhl-Kah. Tagref died shortly after, and Dilay became Lady of the Kulahk, only 15 years old. A New Valahad Makhar XIV had proven himself a poor Valahad. He put to death most of those who served and commanded his brother's army during the war, and under his rule a small number of men, mostly from his immediate family, rose to great power and wealth. Discontent was simmering, and rumour of a new civil war dominated inter-tribe diplomacy. Sensing this, Dilay hurried to the court of Makhar in Great Makharia, seeking to either convince him to reform his administration, or to abdicate down and allow for new elections. Enraged by the actions of Dilay, Makhar challenged her to a blood duel, right there in the throne room. Despite Makhar essentially owing his position to the genius of the young woman, he fatally underestimated her, and merely rushed at her, blade drawn, expecting to quickly strike her down and be done with it. Dilay, however, though small, was a fine swordsman. She deftly dodged the flurry of the blows the Valahad directed her way, and in no time at all, Makhar, Fourteenth Valahad of the Makharian nation, lay on the floor, drowning in a pool of his own blood. Seeing this, the Tribal Lords present in the throne room immediately proclaimed her Valahad, and similar approval poured in from the others. On the 32nd of Werila, 3447, only 16 years old, Dilay found herself the Valahad of Makharia, the first woman to hold the position in the centuries long history of the nation. Reign Dilay adopted the traditional name of the Valahad, only in the feminine form; Makhari. She quickly set about mending the rifts caused by Makhar XIV, dismissing and exiling the corrupt entourage he had built up and instuting a meritocracy within the civil and military administrations. She pulled Makharia from it's centuries long self-imposed isolation, and reached out to foreign allies. The two most significant ones were Flandora, from whom she learned the newest methods of administration, and Nientay, from whom she acquired economic and military technologies and techniques, using them to begin quickly modernising her ancient nation. Though there is resistance to her from some traditionalist quarters, the overwhelming opinion of her is one of optimism and hope. With so much accomplished by one so early, the future for Makharia is bright under the benevolent hand of Makhari I. Category:Monarch Category:Head of State Category:Ohoric Category:Prodigy Category:Shaymal